Only for a Little While
by Just-Me-and-My-Brain
Summary: The Electric Alchemist. One for the history books, one who was planning on staying in them. But plans, as well as the world, are apt for quick change- and suddenly she finds herself thrown back into the world of state alchemy. And while trying to lead a "normal" life, she has to deal with Mustang and Armstrong, both of whom are determined to make it anything but.
1. Another Sleepless Night

**Chapter 1: Another Sleepless Night**

* * *

_ The stench of burning flesh mingled with the suffocating effect of smoke. Fire engulfed the building mercilessly, causing it to collapse slowly. The pipes groaned under the weight of the architecture, cement clattering and fire roaring to make a deafening sound._

_ I coughed roughly as I stepped over one of the fallen support beams, bringing my forearm in front of my face to somehow protect myself from the flames and hot, splattering gravel that was growing more uncontrollable and immense by the second._

_ "Sam!" I called out through the deep rumbling as another area of the building collapsed in on itself, scorching my bare arm with a wave of heat. I ignored the screaming of my lungs that were desperately gasping for the oxygen that wasn't there as I ventured through the burning rubble._

_ "Sam, where are you?" I spun around, eyes trying to see through the bright, high flames and plumbs of black smoke that were surrounding me. I spun again, a small pile of burning embers falling on me from the ceiling as I looked for my fiancée in the collapsing medical refuge. _

_ "What's happening?" My mind and body screamed at me, not having fully transitioned into 'fight-or-flight' from the peacefulness I had been experiencing only a minute before._

* * *

_A minute before Solf J. Kimblee had arrived. _

_I had seen the signs; he was enjoying his extermination job a little bit too much. _

_My mind hadn't wanted to believe it when the fire started, taking out nearly half of the building and killing close to one hundred people. _

_Somewhere in the panic, I had been separated from Sam; the man that I'd loved for six years; the one I was marrying as soon as I could get out of the Hellhole I was in and quit my state alchemist job._

_But I had heard the laughter. I knew his laugh; I had heard it many times- woken up from my nightmares because of it. He was outside the building, he had done this._

* * *

_A sliver of white light broke through the black cloud, catching my eye as my body was struggling to find a way out. I stumbled forward quickly, feet moving jarringly and not feeling as they were licked by the out of control flames._

_A sudden and unexpected transition found me outside the building, letting me watch in a dazed horror as the rest of the architecture came crumbling down._

_I slowly shuffled around and looked for any kind of path that could lead me to base, any point I could focus on. But it was impossible. The world was spinning dangerously fast, tilting at a horrible angle as I walked forward. _

_I could feel something wet slowly beginning to trickle down what I could feel of my face, but I didn't want to care, instead putting all of my energy into walking._

_"Who are you?" A voice from somewhere behind me rang out in a strong, commanding, familiar accent. "Tell me now, Ishvalan, or you'll die."_

_"But I'm not Ishvalan… I'm a state alchemist…" my mind argued back mutely, still commanding me to march forward. "Who's voice is that?" I felt obliged to turn around and look, but knew that if I stopped stumbling, my momentum would keep going until I fell over._

_I heard a distinct snap. It was one I'd gotten accustomed to hearing during my time spent in the ongoing war. I'd been hearing it for many months. I felt my mind twitch as it tried to get my body to guard itself in some way. _

_I knew who it was._

_I suddenly knew what was happening._

_By having white hair, courtesy of my great-grandmother (who was the only Ishvalan in an almost solid line of Amestrians), and by becoming tan during the war, I had started to look Ishvalan. _

_Dangerously so._

_And who was I to run into? None other than Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. _

_Pain quickly swallowed me, sending me tumbling to the ground in a burning heap. The horrible sensation seeped into my body like acid, my body drowning out the pain of my raw throat as I screamed._

* * *

And then there was blackness.

She could feel the world rotating under herself.

Cold sweat covered her trembling form as she untangled herself from her blankets and rose from her bed shakily.

"Damn it." She walked into the bathroom just down the dimly lit hall. _Not another one._ Her mind finished for her, cursing her nightmares.

Feverishly she flipped on the light, blinking away the pain in her eyes from the sudden shock of brightness. She stood with her hands supporting her as she leaned on the sink counter, staring at herself in the mirror.

Her blue eyes stared back, glaring at the small spots on her neck where the scar that covered her back had gotten past her sleeveless turtle neck that day. Her cold, pale skin was covered with goose-bumps from the sweat, her short-styled white hair spiked up randomly to remind her of her restlessness, and her eyes were concentrated but deep, filled with fear from her dreams.

She slowly, hesitantly turned around, analyzing most of her back as part of it was covered by her bra.

Over the years, it had somewhat faded, turning out to be more of a blemishing pink tint than the ugly, deep red that it used to be. The burn covered her entire back, creeping around a number of ribs and up the lower part of her neck.

Roy Mustang had mistaken her for an Ishvalan after Solf J. Kimblee had destroyed a hospital where many Ishvalans had taken refuge. Where her fiancée had taken up working. She had gotten out of the building right before its collapse.

She had been the only survivor, out of 153 people to be there.

She spent years in recovery from the burn, and even more years trying to get Roy to talk to her again, let alone try to rebuild their friendship.

After her recovery she had left. She was given honorable leave with the agreement that if they ever needed her, she would come back. With that being said, she was allowed to keep her alchemy title (without needing to be tested- as if her skills were to be tested anyway) and she moved back to her hometown, a northern town by the name of Yeoz.

Nothing more to be said.

No contact with anyone for years.

The last letter had been between her and Alex Louis Armstrong, which had ended on a rather awkward note of his desired courtship of her.

Tarry sighed as she glared at herself in the mirror after splashing water on her face, realizing that it was going to be another sleepless night.


	2. Visitors

**Chapter 2: Visitors**

* * *

White clouds drifted forward in the light blue sky while the sun's rays trickled effortlessly through to reach the ground.

Overall, it was an unusually beautiful and peaceful day in the small northern town of Yeoz.

A single dog barking filled the silence that would normally be used by children, but they were all in school or being tutored at this late morning hour.

Tarry sighed, her annoyance growing as she tried to pull weeds out of her garden at the bottom of the hill her house sat on. She was hoping that by pulling the weeds out each week, she'd manage to grow something eatable that didn't look like it came from a different planet. But as far as it was going, she was starting to become confused as to what was a weed and what was the top of a carrot or other vegetable… the bigger problem was that she was starting to find that she no longer cared.

"Jair!" She called out in a loud voice she rarely had to use, her tolerance thrown out of the figurative window by listening to that dog bark on the other side of the house for the last ten minutes.

She glared up at the house, which was nice but by no means spectacular, as if it were its fault when the barking didn't cease.

The house was a warm, pale yellow; a welcoming sight in a normally gray world. Each window had a pair of creamy white shutters, which helped protect the white framed windows from the dense winter weather. The door matched the shutters and the front door had a welcoming wooden sign reading "Come In!" to anyone who showed up. A pine tree and stone pathway to the porch also worked to welcome anyone, working with the land-owner to invite people into the empty house.

Tarry sighed again, looking at the black, icy river that ran past her house before passing through the middle of the town. The barking had increased and now sounded more and more playful as she listened to it.

"Jair, get over here this instant!"

The barking stopped, allowing for the sound of laughter to break the silence. A large black, white, and red/brown Burmese mountain dog came loping around the corner of the house, followed by a trio of running, giggling, young boys.

The four figures stopped at the top of the hill, all of them meeting Tarry's eyes as she stared up at them.

The three boys seemed nervous, fidgeting as their minds were trying to decide wither to run or stay and see if they could continue to play with the large, overly friendly dog. Tarry could see by their clothes and the amount of dirt and soot on them that they obviously came from the poorer part of town.

"Hello up there!" She waved with a large, welcoming smile. "What'cha boys up to?" She waited to see if they'd run, seeing them obviously flinch when she first started talking.

"No-nothing…" A high voice traveled down, an answer from the youngest member of the trio.

"We were just um…" The oldest boy spoke, his voice deeper but not by much.

"Playing with Jair?" Tarry smiled, realizing that the only thing keeping them there was the smile on her face that let them know she wasn't angry. "Yeah, he likes being played with. Thanks for keepin' him company."

She groaned as she shifted her weight, moving to a standing position and swatting dirt from her knees as her muscles stretched from the new position.

"Why don't you kids come inside for some juice and snacks?" Tarry called up before groaning with a large, satisfying stretch.

The boys tensed up, not sure what to reply with as she was a stranger; no matter how friendly or well-known she was in the town.

"I mean, you need to refuel somehow if you want to play with Jair more. He takes a lot of energy to keep up with." She could see that the promise of being able to keep playing with the dog had won them over, they seemed to relax the tiniest bit as they looked between each other and the dog, who's shoulders sat an inch shorter than the youngest one's height.

Tarry hiked up the hill slowly, sighing as she reached the top and saw the children still standing there.

"Come on inside, I'll get some food on the table." She opened the backdoor with ease and waited as the three guests carefully ducked inside.

"You're quite the attention hog aren't'cha boy?" Tarry patted the huge, panting dog on the head as he returned to her side.

The group entered the house into a comfortably lit kitchen and dining room with creamy white tiles and light blue walls.

The woman glanced at the three who were huddled in the corner, all staring at her with caution and curiosity. "You can sit at the table if you'd like." She nodded toward the light brown stained oak table with a smile as she propped the back door open, allowing for a cool breeze to blow in the smells of early summer.

She paused to look over her visitors.

The youngest child, who close up looked to be closer to five or six, had short brown hair and green eyes, the sparkle of innocence still dwelled inside of them as he looked up at her. His dirty blue tee-shirt and ripped shorts seemed a little too large for him and his absence of shoes didn't go unnoticed to her.

The middle-aged child, who was very close looking to seven years old, was obviously the younger one's brother, having similar colored hair and eyes. His eyes danced with small traces of innocence but were flooded with the desire of adventure, which was something Tarry's eyes also contained. Also like his brother, his shirt and pants were worn thin and what little bit of shoes he had, looked to have been made from scraps of cloth and cardboard that was sewn and taped together.

Being the oldest one seemed to be tough, a sturdy twelve-year-old. The boy didn't look to be related to the others, but seemed to be protective of them. His face was harder than the others, having seen the cruelty of the world and what it had to offer. His hair was a light brown that was medium length and clumped uncleanly. With blue eyes, she was surprised that he was the toughest looking of the group. His outfit was the most worn out and his feet were scuffed, bruised, and bare, not having seen shoes in a long time.

"So what sounds like it would suit your fancy?" Tarry smiled as she walked into the kitchen, looking over the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining room. She rummaged through the cabinets until she found a tin of cookies, she quietly opened it and set the lid on the counter before crossing the room again and setting it on the wooden eating surface for the boys to munch on.

The boys quickly grabbed at the food, obviously hungry and deprived of any kind of sugar.

"Do you have any milk?" The youngest boy asked, cookie crumbles falling from his mouth as he wrapped his small fingers around another treat.

Tarry's mouth formed a small smile. "A milk lover huh?" She opened her refrigerator and grabbed one of the bottles of milk inside. She silently crossed over to the counter and opened a drawer, watching the child watch her as she popped the lid off and walked over to the kid. "Drink up kiddo." She slid the bottle over to him.

All three kids watched the milk with amazement. "You mean, I get to have _all_ of _this_?" He looked at the bottle that contained the rocking white liquid.

"Well, you can split it with your brother and friend if they want any, but I have other things to drink." Tarry shrugged. "I don't really like milk. I never have, and unless by some odd event I wake up one day with new taste buds, I probably never will."

"Do you have anything… um… else…?" The middle boy asked timidly, obviously not used to being allowed to have anything he wanted.

"I have some apple juice." Tarry opened the door, grabbing one of the shiny glass bottles of juice.

The child looked after it with wide eyes.

"Do you want some?" Tarry smiled as she pulled out two glasses from the cupboard, already knowing what his answer would be by the desiring look on his face.

The boy looked at the older one, silently asking for permission. Tarry watched with interest to see what would happen, leaning casually against the counter edge with crossed arms while waiting for the answer.

The older boy nodded once.

"Yeah, I'd like some. A _big _glass!" The boy smiled, showing his desire for much juice with his hands.

"Would this be enough?" Tarry poured the taller glass to the rim with juice and set it down carefully in front of him. She chuckled when the child's eyes widened to look as big as saucers, his mouth widening into a smile that seemed to go across his entire face.

"Now…" Tarry looked at the oldest one, hoping that he'd tell her what he'd want.

"I'll just have some milk." The boy nodded.

"Well okay then!" Tarry smiled, passing him a cup and watching as he politely took the bottle of milk from the youngest boy.

"So…" Tarry smiled, leaning with her hands on the table. "I think I need to know your names, boys." She looked at them all and watched as they glanced between each other while setting down their drinks.

"Um…" The oldest boy spoke up first after a moment of silence. "My name's David."

"I'm John, and this is my bother Benjamin." The middle child spoke.

"But you can call me Ben!" The little one giggled.

"Alright; Ben, John, and David." Tarry pointed to each of them as she said the names. "And are you their brother, David?" She motioned to the two young children.

"No, but I found them, so I take care of them." David answered, innocence flashing through his eyes for the first time.

"I see, so none of you have any parents?" Tarry frowned, looking at them as they slowly shook their heads.

"They can't remember what happened to theirs." David spoke up. "And mine left me in the orphanage. I ran away because I kept fighting with the others."

"Okay, well, I'm glad you came up here then." Tarry pushed herself off of the table and moved easily through the kitchen, clattering around in the lower cabinets before pulling out a skillet. "Now, who here wants a grilled cheese sandwich?"

All three boys shot their hands into the air, smiles stretching their mouths as they thought of warm food.

Tarry smiled while making the three items, setting them on plates and serving them with steaming bowls of tomato soup and crackers. She sat with the group at the table, listening to the children's chatter and watching them as she absentmindedly rubbed Jair's ear.

"Now that you're all full, why don't you go outside and play with Jair?" Tarry noticed her dog's ears perk up at the word 'play'. "If you need the bathroom, it's down the hall there," she motioned down a long, lighted corridor.

"Lets go!" John smiled, hopping out of his seat and rushing out of the door, Ben and Jair on his heels.

David started to run after them but stopped, looking at the mess they were leaving behind. Slowly he returned, pushing the chairs back into place.

"You don't need to help me. Go play." Tarry watched him comfortably from her chair, her arms and legs crossed and eyes half closed while staring at him.

"No, you're helping us out, it'd only be right for me to-"

"Go play." Tarry interrupted. "I rarely get visitors up here, I need something to clean other than the dust collecting on unused furniture."

David let his eyes wander around the room for a second, shuffling idly while weighing his options. His eyes met hers again, nodding before running out of the back door and rolling playfully down the hill, tackling Ben and carrying him along until they reached the bottom where Jair waited excitedly to start playing.

Tarry sighed, smiling as she picked up the dirty plates and set them in the deep, white colored sink. She looked out of the window in front of her, watching the children as they ran around with her dog, Ben giggling excitedly as David picked him up and set him on Jair's back.

Jair whipped his head around in surprise, not expecting the weight on his back. The woman chuckled, knowing that the weight of the boy was almost nothing compared to the carts that Jair had been trained to help pull.

Slowly, after making sure that the dog wouldn't buck the young boy off, David began leading him around, holding onto his collar as he walked and trotted him around the yard.

Tarry moved to turn the water on but heard a rare sound rumble through the house; tires rolling to a stop through the gravel of her driveway. She walked through the house slowly, hearing the car doors close lightly.

A light rapping sounded through the wooden front door.

"Yes?" Tarry opened the door and felt her eyebrows rise in surprise.

"Hey honey!" Maes Hughes smiled, using his arm to lean casually against the house, flashing his classic, wide smile.

"Maes," Tarry nodded at the man, a smile creeping across her face as his happy personality affected her. She rotated her head to look at the woman standing slightly behind him, "Riza." She nodded at the fellow female, smiling when she received a nod in return.

"So, we were in the area and thought we'd stop by!" Maes flashed an even bigger smile.

"Oh, in the area!" Tarry nodded dramatically, smiling at his joking aura. "Right! So, after just stopping by, what is it you wanted to say?"

"Well, you know, we've been having trouble training some new recruits…" His voice switched to an over-exaggerated game show host's accent and tone. "So, Tarry Ashton, we're offering you a paid vacation to the _beautiful_ Central!"

Tarry sighed at the words, her smile fading slowly.

"Orders from Mr. Bradley, Miss. Ashton." Riza handed a heavy letter with a red wax seal at the top to Tarry, who received it with a grunt of disapproval.

"It would've been nice to get a little warning. I can't just leave on a moment's notice." Tarry grumbled, tightening her grip on the envelope.

"You're required to be there in a week." Maes said in a more serious tone, his smile having left everything but his eyes.

"Am I going to be allowed to bring my dog? If not, it might take me longer to get to Central because I need to find someone willing to watch him." Tarry looked at the two old friends.

"You have a dog?" Riza felt surprised that she didn't know that fact, but from a glance at Hughes it became obvious that he hadn't known either.

"Yeah, come one in." Tarry stepped aside, allowing the pair to get out of the cool atmosphere.

"So… the dog?" Hughes looked around the simple, warm home, not sure what to expect her to own as far as pets.

"Give me a sec. I'll be right back, let me go get'em." Tarry walked through the house, allowing the visitor's time to get situated and comfortable in the calm natural lighting of the living room.

"Boys," Tarry walked through the open back doorway and looked at the bottom of the hill where the group was playing. "I need to borrow Jair for a moment; can you play amongst yourselves for a little bit?"

The group nodded at her, waving goodbye to the dog as it ran up the slope toward its owner at the sound of his name.

"Thank you! He'll be out in a moment!" Tarry waved. "There might be a ball in the shed down there!" She pointed at a small building down at the base of the hill near a patch of evergreen bushes.

"This is my dog." The woman walked back into the living room, motioning to her side where the giant animal padded, sniffing the air for clues when it saw the sudden wave of new visitors.  
"Whoa, what a big puppy!" Maes chuckled as the dog sauntered up to him, licking his face and panting as he rubbed and scratched at the dogs thick, furry neck.

"I'm not sure how well he'd do in a big city." Riza looked at the giant dog who was now sitting on the couch, keeping all four paws on the floor while maintaining adequate coverage of the cushion. "I mean… this is a bear. Not a dog." Riza let herself slip for a second into a half joking state, although she wasn't far from the mark with the size of the animal.

"Yeah! He's a giant teddy bear!" Maes smiled. "Aren't you buddy?" He closed his mouth as the dog was tempted into licking his face again. "Gracie would love it!" He smiled, looking up at his host.

"Did you hear? Gracie and I got married!"

Tarry smiled while Maes quickly dug his wallet out of his pocket, Riza rolling her eyes from behind while Jair sat between them, panting happily from all the attention he was getting.

"We tied the know as soon as I got back home from the war!" Maes smiled for a second longer, his smile fading when he realized how silent it had become. Tarry's smile had wavered, Jair had stopped panting, even the birds and the wind seemed to have paused. "I'm sorry." Maes cleared his throat, slowly sliding the picture carefully back into its specific slot.

"It's fine. I'm happy for you Maes." Tarry smile was back, bigger than before as she tried to recover the situation. "I can't wait to meet her; you can tell me more about her later."

Maes smile grew back at the prospect of having someone who actually wanted to hear him talk.

"We'll arrange housing for you as soon as you arrive." Riza input formally. "Will you be taking the dog?"

"I might if I can't get someone to watch him for me, but I have a few people who owe me favors." Tarry winked, letting the world drift back into an awkward silence which had barely been made any more comfortable.

There was something through; she wasn't hearing nothing because there was a noise which was received with her ears with a nervous flashback.

Someone outside was crying.

"Please excuse me." Tarry walked briskly out of the room, Jair on her heels.

Maes and Riza glanced at each other before standing up, following Tarry as they also heard the disturbing sound.

"What happened?" The woman hurried down the hill toward the trio, the middle and youngest children both crying while David tried to calm them down.

Tarry looked at John, whose face was now red and purple, blood flowing freely out of his nose.

"I'm sorry!" Ben sobbed, tears streaking his face as he sat on the grass in a heap.

"Shh, shh, what happened honey?" Tarry bent down and held the young boy, rocking him back and forth in a rhythmic pattern.

"I'm so-rr-y!" His volume rose as he wailed, fresh tears springing up.

"Maes, get a rag and a bag of ice please!" She shouted up to the house, spotting the military personnel peaking out of the doorway.

"Shh, come on, tell me what happened, come on; it's okay." She rocked the boy before looking up at David with a calm air of comfort and training. "David, can you tell me what happened?"

"Ben kicked the ball and it hit John in the face." The boy frowned, glaring with blame at the red rubber ball that sat innocently a few feet away.

"Here we go." Maes walked up calmly and knelt down next to the bleeding child and used one of a handful of rags to start cleaning his face, gently pressing it to the boys face to soak up the dark crimson blood that was flowing freely.

"Thank you." Tarry bowed her head, looking up from the wailing child for a second.

Maes glanced at her, acknowledging her while slowly wrapping the bag of ice into a second rag and handing it to John, calmly showing him how to hold it.

"See? See, John's okay." Tarry bounced Ben on her leg a few times to get him to look up.

Ben rubbed his eyes, slowly lifting his head to look over at his brother, seeing him smile and laugh as Hughes told him a short joke to boost his spirits. Slowly but surely, his tears stopped and his wailing reduced to soft sniffles.

"David, why don't you go put the ball up and then we can all go inside and have some ice cream." Tarry looked around at the children, watching their eyes all light up with excitement.

"Ice cream!" John seemed to bounce on the ground because of how quickly he shot up. "Did you hear that, Ben? We get ice cream!" He jumped to his feet, seemingly forgetting about his injury, and ran in circles around the yard.

"Ice cream! Ice cream! I love ice cream!" Ben sang as he leaped from Tarry's arms and chased after John.

"So we all get ice cream?" David ran back after putting the ball away, also excited about the enticing desert that was rarely received by children living on the streets.

"Yep." Tarry started walking up the hill with Maes by her side, David following slowly. "After you finish the ice cream you can choose what to do. I have a few errands to run so you can decide wither you stay outside and play or leave. Jair's gonna need to go with me, so he won't be here for you to play with."

"Okay." David nodded. "I think we'll head out; we need to find a place to camp out before all the good spots are taken."

Tarry nodded, calling over her shoulder for John and Ben and smiling as John ran up behind David and jumped on his back, wrapping his legs around the boy's waist.

All of the group, even Riza who stood at the top of the hill, laughed when Ben tried to copy his brother, jumping to try to make it high enough to grab Tarry's shoulders but instead face-planting into her lower back before falling on the ground.

Maes grabbed the boy, slinging him over his shoulder and holding on to his feet, listening to Ben as his giggles filled the air as he dangled over the ground upside down.

Riza, Maes, and Tarry sat quietly in the living room, catching up on events as the children ate their desert.

"So are they yours?" Riza motioned to the kitchen, where all three children sat giggling and eating.

"Oh no. I saw them earlier playing with Jair, they looked like they were hungry, so I let them come in and spend the day with me and Jair." Tarry shrugged, patting Jair on the head when he looked up at the sound of his name.

"Well, they're cute." Maes nodded. "Gracie and I are hoping to have a kid pretty soon; we've been trying. I think it's just a matter of time before we have a miniature Gracie running around the house!" Maes pulled out a different picture of his wife. "Wouldn't that just be adorable? Then I'd have two Gracie's, and I bet they'd be as beautiful as their mother!"

Riza sighed, not wanting to deal with Maes' "wife talk". "Well, we best get going." Riza stood up, shaking Tarry's hand. "We'll let everyone know that you accepted the post and we'll arrange for lodgings and transportation and whatever else you need."

"Thank you." Tarry shook the pair's hands. "Have a safe trip back."

"Thank you, we will." Maes nodded.

Tarry watched the pair walk to their car and waited until they had driven out of sight to close the door and sigh.

She moved to walk to the kitchen when she startled, seeing all three boys in front of her.

"Yes?" Tarry smiled down at them.

"We need to be leaving now." David spoke seriously, the other three nodding behind him.

"Okay, well, why don't you three say goodbye to Jair for tonight and I'll get your surprise." Tarry walked around them.

"Surprise?" John looked at her with curiosity.

"Yep, just wait there." Tarry walked out of the room and grabbed a tan cloth sack from the kitchen which she had packed before. Slowly she traversed back into her living room, where Ben was hugging the panting dog good bye and laughing as he got licked in the face in return.

"Here." Tarry handed the bag down to David.

David watched her for a second before setting the sack down and opening it, his eyes widening.

"Wow, thanks." He closed the bag up before the others could see and slung it over his shoulder, shrugging it into a comfortable spot before opening the front door.

"It's not a problem. Don't be afraid to ask for more help if you need it; you're children, not adults- not yet. You can ask for help and people will do it." Tarry patted him on the head before he slipped outside.

"Goodbye children!" Tarry called out, holding the door open and watched the three run across the field toward the bridge that lead to town.

_Three shirts, three pairs of shoes, two loaves of bread, a bottle of milk, four bottles of water, and enough money to help them buy other supplies for survival. _Tarry ran over the list in her head that she had used while packing the bag, hoping that the three boys would use it wisely.

"Now then, onto taking care of everything else!" Tarry shut the door and clapped her hands, looking at Jair with enough excitement to mask the annoyance of being summoned to Central.

_This is going to be a _long_ week. _She sighed, her dog barking in what seemed to be agreement.


	3. Arriving in Central

**Chapter 3: Arriving in Central**

* * *

Tarry sighed as she leaned her head lazily on her hand, relaxing against the train window and watching the steam from her breath fog up the glass, blocking the view of the world flying past her on the way to Central City.

She had boarded the train in the early morning, catching the first one heading in the direction she had been ordered to take.

The house had been locked up, utility's shut off until further notice, and Jair had been left with a farm man who often sought the dog out anyways when his horse or goat weren't apt to pull the cart into town that day.

Slowly her eyes drifted shut as she was lulled into a dreamless sleep by the gentle rocking of the cabin and click-clacking of the train.

* * *

"Listen up, maggots!" Roy roared as he called the group of new recruits to attention, eyeing each of them as he marched down the line of poor postured, weak saluting men. "Seeing as none of you seem any good at learning the ways of being in the military, we're bringing in a new method of teaching. This method is hard, strict, and she won't hesitate to beat you into next week if you don't do exactly what she says when she says to do it." Roy warned loudly, hoping to install fear into all of their hearts. "I expect that you won't cause as much trouble for her as you've been causing for Major Armstrong..." He glanced at the lumbering man who had been trying to teach the solderer for the last few days to no avail. "Am I correct in this assumption?" He clicked his heels together as he turned to face the group, stopping in the center and staring ahead, waiting for his answer.

"Sir, yes sir!" The men answered back clumsily, none of them in unison at all.

Roy sighed in annoyance, turning toward Armstrong as he waved his hand lazily, "Dismissed."

"Sir," Alex saluted Mustang politely before falling in step behind him, waiting for orders.

"You are to go pick up Lieutenant Colonel Ashton at the train station today. We received a telegram telling us that she's on her way and according to the train schedules; Miss. Ashton will be here in an hour." Roy Mustang walked with his normal air of superiority glancing around at the clean city he was patrolling on the way back to his office. "After retrieving her from the station, I wish for you to bring her straight to my office so that we can sort out her living space and mission orders."

Armstrong continued to walk with the Colonel but remained silent, deep in thought about the arriving alchemist.

"Major." Roy glanced over his shoulder, snapping the man out of his ideas.

"Yes sir." Alex saluted respectively. "I will pick the Lieutenant Colonel up and bring her to you for following orders."

"Thank you, Major." Roy nodded, leaving Armstrong behind as he entered the building containing his office.

* * *

Armstrong turned from the clean building and walked quietly down the stairs. _So Tarry's coming back... _Alex felt a beam of excitement shine through him while his feet guided his body through the city in the direction of the train station. _Maybe I still have a chance... after all, courting desirable women is a trait passed through the Armstrong line for generations! _He encouraged himself enough to pick up his speed toward the large building ahead of him, as if arriving sooner would make the train appear faster.

But arrive faster it did. Being able to skip a few stations because no one was getting on or off had allowed the train to get ahead of schedule, arriving at the station nearly twenty minutes before the expected time.

Tarry woke up with a groan as the change in speeds alerted her body, checking her surroundings before looking out the window she was slightly surprised to find the train chugging tiredly through Central City as it neared it's final destination. "I slept all the way here?" She sighed out loud while she stretched rising out of her sitting position to grab her shoulder bag from the rack above the seats.

"Central City Station!" The conductor called out, standing out of the way of the short brown colored stairs as the men and women riding the train slowly filed off, nodding their thanks to the train operator as they gathered their luggage from the pile and wandered off into the crowd.

Tarry shuffled along with the rest of the citizens, shaking the conductor's hand goodbye as she knew him as a friend and fellow towns-person of Yeoz.

"Nice to see you again, Jeremy I'll talk to you later. Say hello to your wife Mindy for me, will'ya?" She shook his hand firmly with a smile, happy with his reply of; "Yes, wonderful to see you too, I'll pass on your message. Be careful down here!"

"Oh, I will." Tarry nodded, walking pointedly to the luggage pile and pulling out her suitcase before looking around the crowd. _They said that they would send someone out to meet me... who would that be? _She looked over the heads of everyone with difficulty, being rather on the short side compared with the others from the crowd. After a few more seconds of searching, her eyes locked on the one person who never had the same problem as her with her height. Alex Armstrong towered over everyone else, his head shaking back and fourth as he also appeared to search for her.

"Alex!" Tarry called out, waving her hand while shuffling through the crowd. "Alex, over here!" She waved once more, standing on top of a bench to catch his eye faster.

"Ah!" Alex spotted her and walked through the crowd easily in order to meet her.

"Miss. Ashton." Armstrong bowed politely, smiling at her with a twinkle in his eye.

"_Mr. _Armstrong." Tarry teased his formal ways with a smile and a small bow of her own.

"Colonel Mustang ordered me to bring you to his office right away to sort out your living arrangements and mission." Armstrong informed seriously as he gently took the short woman's suitcase away from her, glad when she didn't fight against him carrying it for her.

The pair took off for the building which contained their destination, Alex watching Tarry walk gracefully by his side while taking in her surroundings, as she hadn't been in Central in nearly two years. They walked in comfortable silence, both enjoying the cool evening air and light breeze. Occasionally Tarry would comment on something; a new building, an area where a building used to be, a road, even a tree would sometimes catch her attention.

The trip took less time than expected, or it was the correct time but it flew by quickly; neither of them were sure of the answer. No matter the answer though, the pair soon found themselves standing outside of the double doors that marked Roy's office.

"Well, are you coming in Major Armstrong?" Tarry had started addressing the man formally as soon as they entered the building, maintaining the line between work and personal life as she always did.

"Yes, sir." Alex replied, not being able to help but think of his sister and her desire to be called "_sir"_, as he did so.

"Very well." Tarry knocked thrice before entering the room, looking around at the other people in the room.

"Colonel Mustang, sir." Tarry approached Roy's messy desk and saluted sharply, the air seeming to have been cut by the speed of her arm.

"Lieutenant Colonel." Roy nodded, glancing behind her at Armstrong before grabbing a thick folder that was sitting on his desk and tossing it at her.

Tarry looked at the folder and glanced up to get the man's approval before opening it, skimming through and looking at the profiles that contained pictures, names, and ranks of young looking men.

"This is your mission." Roy started. "These men _could_ make good fighters, but they lack any discipline. Many have tried to train them, but they've failed. And so, we called on you to come; you've been able to teach fast and efficiently and we've taken notice of it. You will be allowed to go back home after the men have been deemed sufficient at their training."

Tarry sighed. "Understood, sir."

"As for housing; there are no current dorms available and the apartments up for rent are less than desirable For these reasons we've accepted Major Armstrong's offer to let you stay in his family's mansion." Roy nodded slowly. "Are you comfortable with this arrangement?"

"Yes sir." Tarry saluted again, studying the man's face as she took in the differences in his face. He looked older, healthier He looked like he was finally sleeping at night, which was less than what she could say for herself.

"Good. Dismissed." Roy spun around in his chair.

"When do I start, sir?" Tarry asked, gathering the folder in her hands as she got ready to leave the office.

"Tonight." Roy continued to look out of the window, studying the city below.

Tarry nodded, sighing at the idea of starting work right away.

Without another word Ashton and Armstrong left the room, traveling again through the polished halls of the building and exiting into the gentle breeze of the evening.

"I trust that you remember where my mansion is?" Alex asked, not sure if she would.

"Yes." Tarry breathed deeply, inhaling the fresh air.

"Good, then I'll go there now and find a bedroom for you. I'll have the chefs prepare some dinner for you to eat when you get home." Armstrong watched her for any clues as to what she was thinking.

"Thank you, Alex." Tarry smiled softly.

Armstrong stared at her for a moment longer before bowing and making his exit, leaving Tarry alone to walk to the training area.

"This is going to be a long, hard night." Tarry groaned, walking lightly down the steps before pausing and staring up in thought. "For them." She added, smirking as she waltzed off to the courtyard, now excited to see what exactly she had to work with.


	4. Meeting the Recruits

**Chapter 4: Meeting the Recruits**

* * *

The alchemist of subject took her time wandering toward the training arena, her body becoming accustomed to the less than clean air and brighter lit area of the city.

Tarry walked lightly into the arena, eying it carefully and taking in the various components that made it up.

The track was wrapped around a large field and sat empty across the large courtyard. Exercise equipment was set up, scattered around the open space, and also all drooped around- none of it in use.

Tarry looked around questioningly for the missing people, and quickly had her eyes landing on a spot across the small courtyard where several young looking men stood around chatting and joking, all sitting around and relaxing at their leisure. _So I guess this is the group I'm training, huh? Challenge accepted. _She smirked lightly as she traversed toward the small group.

"Hi." Tarry walked up to the first boy she set eyes on, a man who couldn't be older than twenty and who was currently smoking a cigarette at his leisure (in a non-smoking training area, one might add).

The man peaked up at her, eying her for a second before giving her a welcoming but sly smile. "Hey, little honey. How'd you wander up in here?" His eyes seemed to look her over hungrily.

"Oh, you know... orders from Mustang." Tarry smiled lightly, knowing that she now had the whole group's attention. "Now, how about you drop and give me fifty push-ups and I won't report you for slacking or smoking?" She pulled the tobacco out of his mouth and crushed it in her hand.

The boy scowled at her, obviously considering his options before letting out a yelp, suddenly pulled out of a sitting position.

"I don't give people long to think things over. Your enemies won't either, so decide quickly." Tarry growled through clenched teeth, balling her fist in his shirt as she pulled him toward her. She let go as quickly as she grabbed him, turning around as he fell to the ground and started muttering angrily while moving into a push-up position.

"The rest of you, line up along that white line." Tarry pointed at a line a few meters away. "_Now_!"

The other nine young men scurried past her, lining up quickly and standing facing forwards.

"Attention!" Tarry called out, watching in shock and annoyance as the group all saluted out of unison, their posture horrible. She walked up and down the line, making small comments about un-ironed uniforms and slumped shoulders which all the boys tried to fix quickly, realizing that this was the woman they had been warned about.

Mustang hadn't been joking.

She was scary.

"Now, I'm here because none of you have the discipline needed to be a true solder. I'm gonna change that, and if you aren't perfect, model solders by one week's time; you'll all be sent home. Because if I can't train you, nobody can." Tarry nodded to herself in approval as the line's posture slowly began to improve.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man from before, now finished with his push-ups and trying to sit to rest from the exercise. "Ah, I'm glad to see you done. Get in line with the rest of them." She flipped her head toward the line, not letting the grumbling complaints he cursed at her to go unnoticed. "And another thing; if you get in trouble like this guy here- you will not receive extra breaks because you're tired. You're tired because you goofed off and messed up. When you do that it gets hard." She glared all down the line.

"I haven't properly introduced myself; I'm Lieutenant Colonel Tarry Ashton. You may call me _Lieutenant Colonel Ashton _or _sir_. I am not your mother. I'm not your baby sitter. I'm your worst nightmare..." She smirked, bowing dramatically with a devilish grin. "Gentleman; welcome to _Hell_."

* * *

It had been nearly an hour. In that hour, they had been doing push ups, and running laps. Mostly running laps.

All men panted, doubled over themselves as their breath seemed to be dissipating in their lungs, escaping them faster than they could get it back. Most of them dragged their feet in exhaustion, now making skid marks on the track and taking longer than before to complete a lap.

Each lap was unanimously the effect of a sadistic and ever lengthening rim of asphalt.

"Alright men, take a rest. Walk a lap and come sit down." Terry caught her breath faster than the other men, making sure she wouldn't sound out of breath.

The men panted in reply, most automatically starting to walk (as they were jogging at a speed most walkers could pass them at), but the few who had been truly trying to give it their all, collapsed. Their legs giving out at the utter idea of even getting a break.

"I'm... surprised, at what you all are... capable of." The alchemist chose her words carefully, not wanting to become completely hated by the whole group by the end of day one.

The men all stared at the ground, not sure how to take the complement... or was it an insult...? They really couldn't tell.

"Tomorrow we'll be practicing lining up and snapping to attention." Terry informed, plucking a strand of grass from the ground. It cried a soft snap before releasing itself into her hand, her fingers working silently as they tore the blade apart.

"We already know how to do that." The same boy with the hungry eyes from before snapped, obviously still carrying the hatred from earlier in the evening. His eyes now possessed a trait Terry had seen many times in her times in Ishval. He was furious. And he wanted to show it. He _was_ going to show it. One way or another.

"What's your name?" The woman stood up, glaring down at him.

"Brian. Brian Rays." The man also stood, glaring back at her. The men watched with wide eyes and open mouths. The only sound they made was a quiet and synchronized inhale. It was without words, but it was still obvious. Everyone there could see it in the boy's eyes. Terry was being challenged. Her authority was being questioned by someone much farther down the rank than her.

"Well, Rays, maybe we can work on your manners as well." Alchemist against solder, they waited for the next move. Terry had accepted his challenge and was now waiting for him to either fight back or back off.

He fought.

Terry's eyes were off him as his fist swung up, carrying all the thoughtless rage and blind anger he was holding in. The emotion caught the woman's jaw, sending her staggering to the side.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Another boy jumped to his feet, adrenaline starting to pulse in his head.

The scream snapped the fighter out of it. His anger depleted and sunk back down into the depths of his mind. All that was left was a terrified, panting, and trembling boy, suddenly questioning why had had done something like that. He could be killed... or worse; dishonorably discharged from the military, forced to live in shame for the rest of his life.

"Good shot." Terry righted herself and cracked her neck loudly. A large red circle was already darkening on the line of her lower jaw. She looked at the scared boy with excited eyes, a hint of a smile on everything but her mouth.

You would think that she would have been furious. That as soon as she got her bearings back, she would have electrocuted the boy on the spot, leaving nothing but ash and maybe some bone. Or that she would at least have returned the punch. But that was a trait of Terry Ashton. You never really knew what exactly to expect with the woman.

"You'll be an excellent hand to hand combatant." She complemented, approaching the group again as if nothing had happened.

"I'm sorry." The man leaned away, lowering his head in preparation to get backhanded.

"No." Terry shook her head. "Don't worry about it. If I was mad... you'd be dead."

The man's eyes widened considerably.

Terry noticed and rolled her own sight spheres. "No, no, you're takin' it all wrong. If you're _not _dead, what does that mean?"

"You... you're not... mad...?" Brian's eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Good job." She nodded. "Alright, class dismissed until tomorrow. We'll meet at the same time and same place. Don't be late or there'll be consequences, and I'll see you all later." She listed off the polite orders in a tone that showed she had obviously done this before, turning her back and beginning her walk across the field. "Good night."

The group of men stared after her. Wondering what exactly they had just experienced.


End file.
